Data Gathering Methods

Survey
The survey method is appropriate when we need to get a lot of information
quickly. Relatively easy to design and administer, questionnaires / surveys have
benefits of being:

Non-threatening: there is no-one to judge responses, so end users do not

have to 'please' the questioner
Anonymous: end users can freely respond knowing that their identity will
be kept private
Relatively cost-free
Easy to compare: makes analysis easier (if the questionnaire is designed
with the analysis in mind!)

Things to consider are:

Respondents might not complete carefully

Questions have to be designed carefully in order not to bias the response
from the end user
This method does not develop any kind of relationship with the end user
Surveys never get the 'full story'

Interview
Interviews help us gain some more depth and
insight - to really understand how the project is
affecting end users or how they feel about it.
Here we get both range of information - we can
cover a lot of issues - as well as depth. We can
respond immediately and investigate deeper any
responses, while developing a relationship with
the respondent.
However, interviews take time. While the interview may be structured (i.e. the
same questions are asked to all respondents), their flexible nature means that
analysis and cross- comparison may be difficult: after all, everyone has a
different story. There is also the danger that the questioner may bias the
responses, or that the respondent may give face- saving answers.

Desk Study
Reviewing secondary documentation is a
good way to find out how a project is
doing without actually interrupting the
process. This is from a review of reports
and other project documents.
In the best scenario, we have access to a
huge amount of information without
having to interrupt the programme's
operations. However, it can be timeconsuming; we need to know what we are looking for or can get lost. Sometimes
the information is incomplete or cannot be verified. It's also inflexible: you can
only use what already exists.

Observation
Observation - for example, through
visits to project sites - lets us get
verifiable, first-hand information about
how things are actually done. It is very
useful for observing processes as they
happen - for example, observing a
User Group Meeting.
Despite being time consuming, a big advantage is that we can respond
immediately. We can ask questions to gain further understanding of what we see,
and instead of asking 'what if?' can actually take action and see 'what happens'.
However, understanding what we see isn't always easy to interpret, and
categorising the information collected can be tricky. Another drawback of
observation is that our presence can influence others' behaviour, and what we
see may not be typical of what happens when we are not present.

Focus Group Discussion

Originally developed as a quality tool in
marketing, the Focus Group Discussion
(FGD) is useful for exploring group
perceptions on a topic in depth. These
could be reactions and feelings of end
users or exploring group concerns.
FGDs an also help us to resolve
emerging conflicts and reach
participatory decisions.
The FGD is efficient in that we can get both range and depth of information in a
short time. It also serves to communicate key information about our programmes
to end users.
The limitations of this method include:

Scheduling the discussion can be can be difficult

Analysing the discussion afterwards may be complex
We need to ensure that the FGD is conducted by a skilled facilitator
Participants may not give honest responses, and try to please the
facilitator or fit in with the group
Relationships between the group members may mean that some
members do not express their ideas openly
The culture of the group may not lend itself easily to the divergence of
opinion necessary to reach true consensus

Case Study

The Case Study focuses on depth, and aims to fully

understand a particular end user's experience of a
programme. It gives a full picture of the end user's
experience of the project inputs, processes and
results, providing a powerful way to demonstrate the
benefits of the programme to outsiders - look at how
many INGOs use case studies in their fundraising
with the general public.
The limitations are that:

It is very time consuming to collect

It has to be planned and conducted from the
start of the programme - not just added later.
(That's a 'Success Story')
The Case Study gives depth of information,
not breadth
Analysis and, particularly, cross-comparison, can be difficult